break-in. four college basketball players are accused of stealing cash and electronics from fellow classmates. embarrassing a school that calls itself hofstra pride. the tennis ref accused of killing her husband with a coffee cup, is set free. cut loose of her electronic monitoring twice. >> i always maintained my innocence. >> why were the charges suddenly dropped? and home cooking. a young girl's holiday campaign for gender-neutral toys. all because she wanted to give her brother an ez-bake oven. good morning, everybody. ginger will not be happy until we have a massive storm, which she lives for. >> i'm waiting. >> sandy wasn't enough for her. also this morning, we have

some intrigue developing in washington, surrounding possible new additions the president may want to make to his cabinet. there could be a surprise announcement in the works. the clock is still ticking before we go over that fiscal cliff just days away. also this morning, swimming for his life. a man's frightening story of survivsu surviv survival, after being attacked by a shark. >> he was womswimming with an e nurse. smiling and stunned. they are holding the tickets in the powerball jackpot. but there's a mystery. who has the other ticket? >> everyone wants to know that one. and we'll hear from the secret santa who has been handing out $100 bills to victims from hurricane sandy. >> some of the people watching the story behind the scenes here, they have been crying. so, that story is coming up. we're going to start with the mess in the west. the third in a nasty hat trick

of storms bearing down tonight. and meteorologist, ginger zee, covering the whole thing. as we wait for the blizzard, this will hold you over, right? >> this will hold me over. this is not great for folks out west. a supersoaker. more than ten inches of rain has already fallen at clear creek, california. how much more will we get? it's going to be on the order of 20 inches of storm total rainfall. on top of it, you have video like this coming in. this from parts of california and the san francisco bay area. wind gusts up to 54 miles per hour in the city. and outside, some of the higher terrain had 88-mile-per-hour gusts. the truckee river will likely crest and flood by tomorrow. some of the heaviest flooding they've seen in more than a decade. finally, it's not just northern california and the pacific

northwest. it's southern california that feel the high surf. some surfers could be happy. but could be dangerous. but it's something to note if you're going to the beach in southern california. let's look at what we expect for more rainfall coming up. redding, you're included. sacramento, just on the outside of it. the wind speeds will gust easily to 40-mile-per-hour-plus. 60 to 80 in the red area. and finally, high surf going to be an issue, all the way through the weekend. i'll have so much more coming up in your nation's weather. including, the end to hurricane season that's not ending, if you can believe it or not. dan? >> a nervous night in the northwest. ginger, thank you. let's check the other headlines breaking overnight. as always, it's ron claiborne. >> two men are in custody this morning for allegedly planning a terror plot in the united states. they were in florida. but were in touch with radicals

overseas. senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, join us with the details. >> reporter: good morning. the two ft. lauderdale men are accused of threatening to blow up a bomb in the u.s. sources tell abc news, this was not a sting. and that the younger brother had been in contact with overseas radicals, possibly connected to al qaeda. the indictment accused the men of attempting to provide money, lodging and transportation, and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. and sources say, the fbi found evidence that the younger brother, had been monitoring recent fbi sting cases. so, authorities say infiltrating the alleged conspiracy was a non-starter. one law enforcement source described the young man's intent as serious. but the source said, the attack was not imminent. >> okay. pierre thomas, thanks for that report. we have breaking news overnight from overseas. a new provocation from north korea. the secretive nuclear nation says it will launch a long-range

rocket later this month, some time between the 10th and the 22nd of december. the launch of a rocket broke apart shortly after liftoff. that was in april. the u.s. is criticizing israel's decision to build new barriers to a potential peace deal. israel says they will build new settlements in the west bank and jerusalem, on land thought to belong to the palestinians. and hundreds of people wrr forced to evacuate from their homes in new jersey late friday, hours after a train derailed spilling a hazardous chemical. authoriti authorities ordered people to leave their homes. 70 people went to the emergency room. but most were discharged in hours. a course in south africa is being overrun by baboons. one of them, seen here.

the actual baboon. this is not a re-enactment here. the real baboon ran across the 15th green, grabbed the cameraman's food and hopped into a golf cart. he had good etiquette, waiting for the green to be cleared before running out. >> that was live. >> no fake news ever from ron claiborne. >> always the real stuff. >> except for when he's making it up. >> thanks, ron. let's turn to other real news. and president obama is facing two, big items on his agenda as the new year approaches. not only is he in a staredown with congress over the fiscal cliff. but a choice for his cabinet may come at the end of this month. and his choice may be a surprising one. we're talking about the top spot for the defense department. >> reporter: we were talking that the president probably next week who he would like to go to the state department. but maybe he's going to do a package deal next week. state department nominee, as well as defense department

nominee. and there could be a couple of surprises here. these are the names we've been hearing over the last couple weeks. one is interesting. chuck hagel, a former senator. he's a republican. also, john kerry, currently in the senate. michelle flournoy. hagel would be an interesting pick. if he picks hagel, a republican, that takes some of the heat off of susan rice to be nominated as secretary of state. she's had a tough time on capitol hill talking to republicans. if you get a package deal, a republican and a democrat, that you're nominating from the president. what are senators going to do, but take both of them? we're hearing, if the president wants susan rice, he's going to nominate susan rice, one way or the another. >> neither side seems to be moving on what they need to do to avoid a fiscal cliff and reach an agreement. is there posturing?

>> reporter: well, this is washington. the whole fiscal cliff is forcing them to do something. the president has said that tax rates will go up for the wealthy. republicans won't bend on that yesterday, john boehner said, we are at a stalemate. this is posturing. this is washington. we're going to have ups and downs. >> ups and downs in the stock market, as well. david, thanks. have a great weekend. >> you, too. now, to the star college basketball players accused of abusing their position as big men on campus. they're facing burglary charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars of stuff from their fellow students. and abc's john muller is covering the story. john? >> reporter: good morning, dan. hofstra students say iphones, computers and cash has been disappearing from their dormrooms all semester. one used an app to find their iphone. now, four players from the division i basketball team are

under arrest. faces, covered in shame. hiding tears as they leave a long island courthouse. another man, pushing and even taking swings at a cameraman as he storms out of court. they are the stunned loved ones of four hofstra university basketball players, charged friday with stealing an estimated $20,000 in cash and items from fellow students over the past two months. police say their favorite targets, high-tech devices, like ipads and iphones. >> they would be in a dormroom visiting, you know, another student. and then, if there was an unoccupied room within the suite, they would take liberty and remove ipads, laptops. >> reporter: police say the star status as basketball players gave them unique access to students' rooms. they say the stolen goods were sold for cash on craigslist, at pawnshops and even on the street. none of the four players have prior criminal records. but jimmy hall, hofstra's

leading scorer, was kicked off his high school team last year for conduct violations. >> the facts in this case are not what the prosecution wants to believe at this point in time. >> reporter: despite pleading not guilty, court records and handwritten statements show the men all admit to stealing. all have scholarships to hofstra university, whose basketball team is named pride. >> it's embarrassing to know that's our team. >> reporter: all four hoops stars have pleaded not guilty. in a statement, hofstra university says they have been working closely with police. all four students have been suspended from the university and the basketball, pending the outcome of their court case. dan? bianna? >> thanks. now, to a terrifying survival story. a man who found himself swimming for his life after being attacked by a shark in hawaii. it happened 250 yards from shore. and the victim said the shark's head was two feet wide, with his leg caught in the shark's jaws.

ron is back with this story. he's one lucky guy. >> this is a harrowing tale about a man who got away from the fish. but the fish believed to be a very dangerous tiger shark, that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. and pounced on the man snorkeling off the coast of maui. >> it didn't hurt so much. it was mostly just fear of a second attack. >> reporter: from his hospital bed, tom kennedy was able to describe his close encounter with a shark just hours earlier. one that could have cost him his life. >> i kept watching behind because i was, obviously, concerned, he might come back again. >> reporter: around 9:30 monday morning, the 60-year-old was snorkeling with friends off the coast of maui. suddenly, without any warning, experts say what appeared to be a ten-foot-long tiger shark, attacked him, bit him on his leg. >> released me. i started swimming as fast as i could. as i went further, i started to

bleed. and i could see i was trailing blood, which was my next concern. >> reporter: kennedy managed to get away from the shark and back on his paddle board. one of his fellow snorkerllsnor nurse. and got him onboard. doctors say he was lucky the shark didn't hit any major arteries. and the bandage on his leg, a reminder how lucky he is to be alive. >> could have this. struck by lightning. >> after friday's incident, officials along the hawaiian island shut down swimming along the stretch of beach where the attack occurred. this is the fourth attack off maui since october. and a woman who is a martial arts black belt fought off a 12-foot-long tiger shark by punching it in the snout, which is apparently what you're supposed to do, if you have the presence of mind. >> we were talking before the show, if we could get the word

snout into the broadcast. >> you didn't know about this? >> who knew? >> ron, thank you for that. now, to the huge game-changing twist in a bizarre murder case we've been following here. check out the before and after. this is 70-year-old pro tennis ref, lois goodman on the day she was arrested at the u.s. open. and this is her with a big smile after a big surprise in this case. abbie boudreau all over the story. >> reporter: it was freedom day for lois goodman. as she cut off the police monitoring bracelet she wore, while standing trial for murder. >> i always maintained my innocence. and i'm just thrilled, thrilled, to get back to my life. >> reporter: all charges, dismissed. >> based upon this information, we announced that we are unable to proceed with the case at this time. >> it is an amazing day for justice and for miss goodman. she has gone through hell with this case.

>> reporter: prosecutors had accused the long-time tennis ref of bludgeons her husband to death with a coffee mug. and then, covering up the crime. from the start, goodman claimed she was innocent. >> she's in shock. i mean, this is insane. >> reporter: even her daughter, telling "gma," there's no way her mother was capable of murder. >> she's a nice, warm-hearted person. my mother would never do this. she's completely innocent. >> reporter: goodman told police her 80-year-old husband, alan, died after falling down the stares and hit his head. when released on bail, she was still wearing her uniform. all along, her lawyers arguing the case against her was weak. claiming she passed a polygraph test. and said her dna was nowhere to be found on that coffee mug. in a los angeles courtroom friday, prosecutors told the judge, based on new information,

they were dropping the murder charges against goodman and dismissing her case. possible charges could be brought against goodman in the future if new information comes to light. but for now, she says she's happy to be a free woman. even joking about going to disneyland. >> i sat with her family. they never wavered. they said she is innocent. in other news this morning, the search goes on for the holder of the second winning ticket for that record powerball jackpot. a couple in missouri came forward yesterday to claim their share of the prize. a cool $136 million after taxes. abc's alex perez has the story. >> reporter: meet the family that has 293 million reasons to smile this morning. >> i called my husband. said i was going to have a heart attack. >> reporter: two years ago, mark hill and his wife, cindy, were both unemployed. today, they are powerball jackpot millionaires.

the second-largest in lottery history. >> we're still stunned by what's happened. it's surreal. >> reporter: the hills accepted their giant check friday, with three sons and adopted daughter, jaden, at the same high school in dearborn, missouri, where the couple first met, nearly four decades ago. >> we remember when they were high school sweethearts. >> wish i had been nicer to them when they were kids. >> reporter: the numbers, collected by quick pick. the following day, mark called from his job at a hot dog packing plant and claimed the prize. but the big question remains, who bought that second winning ticket in arizona? no one has come forward yet. but the answer may lie all the way across the country, in maryland. this video shows a man in a golden vest, apparently with a golden ticket, as well. the clerk and customers say the ticket did have the winning numbers. and that it was from arizona. but the guy bolted before he could make sure.

>> is this the right numbers? i looked down. yeah, that's the numbers. you got them all. >> reporter: as that mystery deepens, back in dearborn, the hills are looking ahead. mark and cindy plan on taking a lump sum, $136.5 million. and starting college funds for their grandchildren, nieces and nephews. but jaden has something else in mind. >> jaden, what did you want for christmas? >> a pony. >> reporter: for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, dearborn, missouri. >> there was no hesitation there. she didn't have to think about it one bit. >> not college. not a car. a pony. ginger? i love ponies. >> i love ponies, too. and happy meteorlogical first day of winter. i've got some interesting information here. we had 19 named storms.

that is well above the average of 12. you're seeing all of the paths there. now, we have a little invest. a little tropical area, of stormy. we have a chance of it becoming valerie. we could see post-hurricane season tropical storm form. we have to talk about the warmth. it doesn't feel like the first day of meteorlogical winter. and the warmth blasts east. chicago and new york city will be in the low 60s by monday.

>> beautiful photos coming in this week. look at the colors there. so perfect. she always sends great pictures. as much as you love cats, i love dogs, dan. >> fair enough. >> and the calm in the storm. this is from washington, between some of the bands of really heavy rain. i thought that was a fleiss bright spot for what has not been so bright in the northwest. i know what i'm getting bianna for the first day of meteorlogical winter. >> a pony? >> a pony. >> you're so giving. >> i learned a weather geek fact. four times in the last decade, we've had named storms in december. it's not out of the question. >> thank you, dan. >> yep. i'm here for you. now, to the secret santa. this is the guy that's come to new york to hand out $100 bills randomly to people hit hard by sup superstorm sandy. >> he's planning to give away

$100,000 this holiday season. and he is hoping others will follow his example. john schriffen spoke to him about this generosity. >> it's amazing how long he's been doing this for. and he seems like a great guy. what a difference a week makes. the black friday madness had shoppers punching and kicking for deals. but this man from kansas city couldn't be more different. he forces media outlets to sign a confidentiality agreement not to reveal his identity. but whoever he is, the secret santa is reminding us what the holidays are all about. >> $500. would that help you? >> going to my daughter. >> reporter: it's not every day, that a complete stranger will pay your bills. but sometimes, the most unlikely miracles fall at your feet. >> you must have dropped that. >> no. >> that's got to be yours. >> oh, my god. are you serious? >> reporter: the culprit, secret

santa. the unidentified miracle worker whose acts of kindness are bringing people to tears, all throughout the country. >> oh, josh. i just got a million dollars. >> reporter: he goes from city to city, surprising folks with $100 bills. sometimes spending up to $100,000 a year. >> it's not about the money. it's really about committing random acts of kindness. i think it's one of the great things that we can do. >> reporter: he's been spreading holiday cheer since 2006, after the original secret santa, larry stewart, was diagnosed with cancer. >> i asked if he had any regrets. he said, yeah. i regret i couldn't help more people. right then and there, i told him, i'm going to take as many $100 bills with your name and pass them out. >> reporter: this year, he made his way to staten island, to help those affected by hurricane sandy. >> and i thought to myself, what is stronger? the force of hurricane sandy? or the spirit of the people that it affected?

and i will tell you, it's the spirit of the people. >> someone wants to give something back to us, you know. it was a surprise. >> reporter: secret santa does not show his face. and if his secret identity is revealed, he said he'll have to quit. >> it takes away from what you're doing. >> reporter: but it's no secret that he's touching lives $100 bill at a time. >> thank you so much, secret santa. i believe in santa. >> reporter: how amazing is that? the mysterious man from kansas city said over the years, the one thing he notices, the people who have the least, actually give the most. that shows this has nothing to do with money. >> it makes us all believe in santa when you hear a story like that. coming up here on the broadcast, just when you thought it wouldn't get more bizarre. wait until you hear the latest testimony in the case of a woman accused of swindling a lottery winner and then killing him. what did she need a doctor for in the court. also, a young girl's fight this season to break the gender

barriers attached to toys. it all started because she wanted to give her brother an easy-bake oven. and it's the duet nobody saw coming. who is johnny depp making music with now? coming up on "pop news" after a quick break. keep it here. we'll see you in a minute. [ knock on door ] cool, you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat-rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] gotta go. [ male announcer ] priority mail flat rate boxes. online pricing starts at $5.15. only from the postal service.

online pricing starts at $5.15. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter... he's built a rocket ship to travel into space. it's just the right size for a clever monkey. do you want to go into space, george? you will have to be very brave. hi, grandma! oh hi,. my little monkey! here. thank you very much. you're welcome. everyone got on and they were off to the launching site. google, how far is earth to the moon? moon is 238,900 miles... the great moment had come... ...5...4...3...2...1

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♪ you can mix up a yellow or a chocolate cake ♪ that's a classic commercial for the easy-bake oven. one of the most popular toys of all-time. but it's always been considered a toy for girls.

now, one young girl is fighting to change that and make it a toy for everyone. and she's not alone. there's a big battle under way over that. >> i'm dan harris. happy december 1st. this girl is extraordinary. so precocious. wait until you hear from her. johnny depp said that his captain jack sparrow, was inspired by keith richards. you can see him, with a hat on. now, he has a highly unusual musical partner. we'll tell you who that is, when ginger fills in on the "pop news" desk. and if you love the show, "family guy," you're going to love this. se seth macfarlane has big plans for the family. we're going to start with a strange trial. the woman accused of befriending and murdering a lottery winner, had to have a doctor with her in court on friday. what's going on here?

abc's mark greenblatt is on the story. good morning, sir. >> reporter: good morning. this is the trial that gets stranger every day. first, the murder suspect was almost thrown out of court. then, sex with the detective who was hot on her trail. >> she told me she could get a free room at the hard rock casino. and she performed sexual acts on me. >> reporter: the detective dropped the biggest bombshell, that moore offered him sex. >> i told her, if she kept lying, i was going to get angry. she said i wasn't going to get angry. that i was going to have sex with her. police charged moore with shakespeare's murder. moore was often reduced to tears in court, after spending the night hospitalized, claiming medical problems. this, just one day after she almost got thrown out of her own murder trial.

allegedly for making faces, to communicate with jurors. >> i cautioned you throughout these proceedings. it's not acceptable. >> reporter: shakespeare had said after he won that jackpot in florida, it seemed everyone he knew just wanted his money. >> i liked my old life back, when i could walk the streets like a normal person. detectives say shakespeare's luck ran out for good, when moore got close to him. they say his normally busy cell phone went inactive, except for mysterious calls, placed only to moore. but police say it was a charade. she had made those calls to herself. >> you used his phone. where's the phone now. and don't lie to me. where's the phone? just tell me. >> i threw it away. >> where did you throw it away at? >> on the side of the road. >> reporter: this courtroom tension, that her public defenders may be causing her strange behavior.

>> i don't pretend to know precisely what kinds of things she's reacting to. but i know it's very stressful for her. >> reporter: and on monday, the prosecution will continue its case. dan, bianna, with a six-hour taped interrogation. expecting to come into play. >> we'll continue to cover it. let's look at the other headlines breaking overnight. for that, we go to ron claiborne. good morning, again. >> hi, again. in the news, the families of the victims of that tragic garment fire will be compensated by the company. and buildings around the world, from the sydney opera house to the empire state building will be bathed in red today for world's aids day. we're now seeing our first pictures of halle berry's ex since his fight with berry's fiance.

officials say they've reached an amicable agreement in their fighter if nahla. and finally, a different kind of tree lighting this holiday season. check this out. a chinese artist set off a series of explosions inside a 40-foot pine tree on the national mall on friday. but it was a bit of a dud. you see there. shifting winding ruined the intended effect. >> it looked like it blew up. >> it's a long story. believe me. it will take the rest of this half hour to explain that one. it didn't work. time, now, for the weather. over to ginger zee. >> i have maybe more holiday-appropriate pictures to start with. in atlantic city, the weather will be almost perfect. low-40s. this is from the city kicking off its holiday light show, called winter sweep. these pictures are a sneak peek of the show, that projects images on the boardwalk hall. the show will play every night through the winter. at this time, the a.t. is

bouncing back after hurricane sandy. and things are open for business. now, we're going to look at what's going on weather-wise. high today, 56 for atlantic city. pittsburgh, 53. charleston, 62. that's below the front. look above it. cooler with rain/snow mix in that purple area. and a look one more time at the pacific northwest. storm three comes in tonight. that's some of the heaviest rain and gusty winds will be affecting us. we'll update you tomorrow. >> this weather report has been brought to you by bp. bianna and dan? >> great to see the boardwalk back up. coming up on "good morning america," shaking up the christmas list. find out about the young girl taking on toymakers for the way

they sell their products to kids. ♪ the hills are alive with the sound of music ♪ and when you think of "the sound of music," you think of julie andrews, naturally. now, imagine this with a country twang. we'll tell you about the country music star taking on the classic. "pop news" brought to you this morning by ginger zee. to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. and bp's also committed to america. we support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. ok! it's a new way to get cash back deals and it's called bankamerideals. i sign in to my online banking... click the "cash back deals" tab...

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a connection your whole house can count on. ♪ a. well, some toys are under attack this holiday season. and not for the usual reason, which is often safety. this time, it's about marketing. and the idea of girls' toys and boys' toys. >> there's one, young girl leading a fight because she wants to give her brother an easy-bake oven for christmas. tanya rivero is on the story this morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is example of one of the toys coming under fire this holiday season. it's a beauty salon. and critics say it displays girls in stereotypical roles. experts say mixing up toy options for girls and boys could be a good thing. one very concerned big sister is starting a move to make sure that toy companies get that memo. 4-year-old gavin pope loves to

play with his big sister, mckenna. whether it's pretending to be a knight. >> cooking day. >> reporter: or a cook. >> what do you want to be when you grow up? >> a chef. >> he's the best with cooking. everything i do in the kitchen, he wants to help with, whether it be the dishes or whether it be cooking. >> reporter: in this video, shot by mckenna, gavin tells what he most wants from santa this year. >> i want a dinosaur easy-bake oven. >> reporter: but this aspiring chef was dismayed to find hasbro only makes the ultimate easy-bake oven in pink and purple. and the ads and packaging don't show a single boy. ♪ make more bakes >> reporter: so, 13-year-old mckenna took matters into their own hands. and began a petition on change.org, calling on hasbro to alter its marketing and color options. >> he should know that it's okay for him to go against societal

norms and societal gender roles. >> reporter: some experts say mckenna is on to something. >> in order for children to not face limitations in their occupational choices, i really think it's important that we present them with gender-neutral toys. >> reporter: and this holiday season, overly gender-specific toys are a hot-button issue. this butterfly beauty shop from lego's friends line, has drawn the ire of a group called campaign of a commercial-free childhood. they nominated it for their award, saying it's so jam-packed with condescending stereotypes, it would make barbie blush. but in contrast, the swedish top toys group, have just published a catalog of gender-neutral toy images.

top toys sells a blue and green kitchen, shown complete with a boy in blue apron. as of this morning, mckenna has collected 9,500 signatures in her patrician. we reached out to hasbro and lego for comment. but i ran into this exact same problem with my own 4-year-old son. i found a lovely wooden kitchen, stained the color of wood. >> send it to jake. >> you make a good point. so many chefs are actually men. not just women in the kitchen. >> reporter: star chefs, too. >> thanks, tanya. coming up on "good morning america," a big announcement for fans of "family guy." nine days till christmas

and eddy said the toys might not be ready! eddy? the elf! ♪ [ radio announcer ] today's forecast: it's snowing snowballs and snow bricks out there... seven more days and it's snowing snow bricks! oh, well, be careful! [ radio announcer ] only two days to go, and several of the elves were tossed around when they tried to wrap a pony. [ female announcer ] the keepsake countdown ornament. build anticipation every day till christmas. elves tried to wrap a pony! ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead.

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we play that music. we bring in rachel smith, our entertainment reporter. but rachel's off this morning. very happy to have ginger zee. >> i love stories about bieber and lohan, almost as much as i love the troposphere. we're very lucky. >> will you define troposphere in the course of this "pop news"? >> probably not. i'm going to do something that you're going to like. there's going to be a "family guy" movie. big applause, everyone. seth macfarlane, slipped with the news to a bunch of students at ucla. he says he has a concept for the film. and it's only a matter before it gets made. there is a contest for film students while doing all this. six winners will get to join seth on stage and actually hand out oscars. you will get to see the trophy-toting coeds on abc in february. exciting stuff. now, breaking news.

are you ready for this? johnny depp is hot. and he plays guitar, which makes it even hotter. he recently joined alice cooper's concert in los angeles. the sexy pirate jufred in on a few covers, includes "foxy lady" and "my generation." he's done this before. >> ginger zee, into johnny depp. who knew? this one for everyone. the hills are alive, with carrie underwood. the country superstar is set to play the role in "the sound of music." this version will be adapted from the original broadway show. i've never seen either. >> you've never seen "the sound of music"? >> no. >> neither have i. how does it end? don't give it away. >> carrie has almost no acting experience. but she has a year to practice.

that's great news. i'm serious on this one. i have to take a deep breath. i'm going to have a tough time to get through this without squealing. if you follow me on twitter, you know i absolutely love "american idol" winner, phillip phillips. and apparently, i'm not alone. his first album made an impressive debut at the billboard charts, coming in at number four. i love you, phillip. his single "home" is a multiplatinum top-ten hit. he is humble and incredibly handsome. okay. >> ginger. >> who knew? >> the take away. johnny depp or phillip, call ginger. either one. >> got to do "pop news." >> if he's got a pony, call bianna. >> i love ponies. >> ginger, you are great at "pop news." >> thank you. >> you are really awesome. when we come back, we have an example of ron claiborne

behaving badly. keep it here. behaving badly. keep it here. >> oh, no. [ muncer ] it's that time of year again. medicare open enrollment. time to compare plans and costs. you don't have to make changes. but it never hurts to see if you can find better coverage, save money, or both. and check out the preventive benefits you get after the health care law. ♪ open enrollment ends december 7th. so now's the time. visit medicare.gov or call 1-800-medicare. and i'm really happy that you're in my life, too. it's just like yours, mom! [ jane ] behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open hearts collection at kay jewelers. keep your heart open and love will always find its way in. ♪ every kiss begins with kay then i read an article about a study that looked at the long term health benefits of taking multivitamins. they used centrum silver for the study... so i guess my wife was right. [ male announcer ] centrum. always your most complete.

so i guess my wife was right. i'm mom at the playground and the dog park. the kids get trail mix... and you get a delicious milo's kitchen chicken meatball. they're 100% real... i wish you liked my cooking that much. the best treats come from the kitchen. milo's kitchen home-style dog treats. share an appetizer, then choose two entrees, like our new smoky chipotle chicken fajitas, topped with monterey jack, chipotle sauce, and crispy onion strings. chili's $20 dinner for two. more life happens here.

i need all the help i can get. i tell them, "come straight to the table." i say, "it's breakfast time, not playtime." "there's fruit, milk and i'm putting a little nutella on your whole-wheat toast." funny, that last part gets through. [ male announcer ] serving nutella is quick and easy. its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. okay, plates in the sink, grab your backpacks -- [ male announcer ] nutella. breakfast never tasted this good.

before we go, every morning before the show, we record promos for the local affiliates. and this morning, i got heckled while i was doing mine. take a look at what ron claiborne did to me. >> five, four. come on, ron. >> thank you, ron claiborne. and thank you for watching. we're back tomorrow morning. we'll see you then. >> busted. [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry

that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. faster than mandy can hang up on mr. monday. you hang up first. [ female announcer ] in just 60 seconds, you've got snack-defying, satisfying totino's pizza rolls. [ ringing ] it's on. let's roll. >> good morning, everyone. it's 5:00 a.m. on this saturday. i'm katie in for terry mcsweeney this morning. we are going to start off with a quick first look at the weather because there's plenty of weather out there this mornin